2023 Best Value Colleges for Urban Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California
10
Ranked Colleges
361
Degrees Awarded
$13,200
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 1,507 people earned their degree in urban studies, making the major the 209th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, urban studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,193 and had an average of $21,495 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 361 urban studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,188 and $15,733 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in urban studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent urban studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the urban studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Urban Studies Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Urban Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 12 degrees to qualified ’s urban studies students in 2020-2021.
Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,233 for california urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Stanford Urban Studies Report
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 ’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,450 for california urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Berkeley Urban Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 38 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,823 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSD.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Urban Studies at UCSD
Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 65 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,540 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Irvine.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Irvine Urban Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 102 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $17,287 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USC.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full USC Urban Studies Report
With a ranking of #6, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 27 degrees to qualified ’s urban studies students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSUN has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $6,266 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Urban Studies at California State University - Northridge
San Diego State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 12 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, SDSU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $7,169 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Urban Studies at San Diego State University
San Francisco State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 31 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
SFSU also made our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $10,705 for california urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Urban Studies at San Francisco State University
University of San Francisco ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. USFCA is located in San Francisco, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.
USFCA also took the #8 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,023 for california urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USFCA.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Urban Studies at USFCA
Loyola Marymount University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Urban Studies Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 12 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Loyola Marymount did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Urban Studies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Marymount University is $32,730 for California Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Urban Studies at Loyola Marymount University
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